The U.S. Embassy’s business manager in El Salvador said that with these decisions “there is a clear strategy to undermine democracy and judicial independence” in the country.
The charge d’affaires of the U.S. embassy in El Salvador, Jean Manes, condemned on behalf of his country the resolution issued last night by the magistrates imposed by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, who a through a ruling they ordered the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to allow President Nayib Bukele to run for an immediate presidential re-election in 2024.
At this evening’s press conference, Manes added that this resolution is a continuation and a result of the actions taken by the official deputies of the Legislative Assembly during the first plenary session on May 1, when they removed the previous ones. and legitimate magistrates of the chamber and placed persons akin to government.
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“This resolution is clearly contrary to the Constitution of El Salvador,” said the business manager, who also added that the decision (to remove the previous magistrate) was a clear strategy to undermine democracy and democracy. judicial independence and remove a critical counterweight from the Executive “.
“A fundamental principle of democracy is the three powers of the state,” he stressed, adding that “the weakening of the independence of the Judiciary is a sign of a declining democracy in El Salvador.”
Therefore, he stated that “this decline in democracy damages the bilateral relationship between the United States and El Salvador, a relationship that we have had for decades and that we want to maintain.”
Jean Manes stated that “the judicial system in the country is not working.” Photo: EDH / Jonathan Funes
Also, and with regard to one of the questions asked by the press about the effects that this condemnation would have on the relationship between the two countries, Manes stated that in the coming days he will have meetings with the White House and other areas. of the US government to analyze what measures will be taken at the political level for El Salvador.
He also mentioned that with these anti-democratic actions “if there are immediate effects” with regard to the efforts made by the US embassy to attract investment from foreign companies in the country. “Companies that were thinking of investing in El Salvador now think 2 or 3 times because they do not want to come to a country where, overnight, they remove magistrates,” he said, adding that “the The United States is freezing efforts to bring investment to the country. “
As for whether the United States has influenced the negotiations between El Salvador and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Manes clarified that the multilateral body has its own processes but what it can confirm is that “there are talks between different international bodies and we all agree that we are concerned about democracy in El Salvador “, specifically for the decisions taken on May 1, for the resolution issued yesterday by the Chamber imposed and for the reform of the judicial career that approved this week by the Legislature.
Read also: Olivera denounces that president of the TSE sent by “chat the express agreement” to abide by order of the room that allows re-election of Bukele
With regard to this reform, which obliges judges, and other officials of the judicial system, to resign if they are more than 30 years old or if they are more than 60 years old, Manes has pointed out that “removing to people for their age or for the years they have exercised has nothing to do with fighting corruption. “
He added that these practices to undermine judicial independence have already been seen in more countries in the region, as in the case of Venezuela, “where Hugo Chávez was democratically elected but step by step tried to “to achieve more power and limit the independence of powers,” he added, “at the time, I think many Venezuelans were believing they were living in a democracy,” he pointed out.
Finally, the business manager and government representative of Joe Biden in the country stressed that “the judicial system in the country is clearly not working,” and reaffirmed that in the coming weeks there will be important meetings with the White House. to address the situation in the country.
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